The farewell of Antoine Griezmann at the national team he surprised everyone, starting with the coach Deschamps and teammates. The France coach commented: “After long and thorough reflection, Antoine has decided to put an end to his magnificent international career. We had a long discussion on this topic recently. Since his debut in the French team ten years ago, we have maintained a relationship of trust.
It’s never easy to draw a line and say enough to the national team. Especially when we represented it so well. It takes courage, clarity and honesty and Antoine, in his analysis, did not lack them. Even if his career is not over, Antoine was and will remain a monument of French football, one of the greatest players in its history. Beyond his 44 goals and 30 assists, his involvement in the results we have achieved over the last decade is immense. Driven by a collective spirit at all times and by a rare altruism towards other offensive players, Antoine has always honored football and our shirt. He never cheated.
Obviously it is with great emotion that I note his retirement from the national team. It has often been said that Antoine is my favourite: we had in fact established a very strong relationship, which will remain intact. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything, my Grizou.”